Praedicator

Verba

Saturday, December 19, 2015 -

[Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a and Luke 1:5-25]

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John."

The "infancy narratives" of the Gospels of Luke and Matthew have been described by scripture scholars as "mini-gospels" because they seem to have been written after the main body of those gospels and contain hints and themes of what will follow. In the infancy narrative of the Gospel of Luke, there is an interesting parallel between the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist, but each time, Jesus seems to come out ahead. This may have been due to a persistent belief of some people long after both Jesus and John were gone that John the Baptist was the messiah.

None of this takes away from the charm of the story about a barren woman becoming pregnant - a story like that of Sarah or the mother of Samson in today's first scripture - and Zechariah's doubt about the angel's announcement. The angel makes him mute until the time comes to name the baby! There is also the story of Mary's visit to Elizabeth and a reaction of Elizabeth's baby to the presence of Mary's baby!

The curiosity of the early Christian community and the necessity of defending Jesus' origins most likely led to the composition of the infancy narratives. Luke and Matthew each had their own materials to work from. Their separate accounts are woven together in most nativity scenes. In short, those scenes preach the whole "Good News" about the birth of Jesus. Reading both stories and then following them with the Prologue of the Gospel of John can make for a profound Advent/Christmas/Epiphany experience. Try it! AMEN